A Volcanic Crater in Mexico Becomes a Unique Football Field

Having a football field inside a volcanic crater is truly unprecedented, but that's where the referee blows the whistle to kick off the match every weekend on the outskirts of Mexico City.

"It's a unique stadium," said 32-year-old player Adrian Garcia, who works as a graphic designer off the football field, adding, "It's beautiful to come here and forget your worries and relax with friends and family."

The dormant Teuhtli volcano rises about 2,700 meters above sea level in the green Sochimilco area southeast of the sprawling city.

Approximately ten amateur league teams play in the crater of the volcano during the weekends.

The area used to be a festive center, but after becoming unsuitable, it was transformed into a football field.

League representative Joel Biseril said the stadium is "about 70 years old," adding, "They used to carry me here when I was a child."

At dawn, thick fog blankets the football field, but gradually dissipates with the rising sun.

A single road leads to the summit, along with a designated 18-kilometer walking path that reaches the slopes of the volcanic forest.

Goalkeeper Daniel Manzia Pena (47 years old) said, "It's wonderful. It's impressive to come here to the stadium and have such a beautiful place to play football."

According to experts from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, there are over 200 volcanoes, mostly inactive, in southern Mexico City and on the border with the neighboring state of Morelos.

Mexico is located in an area known as the "Ring of Fire," where the Pacific tectonic plate meets the surrounding tectonic plates, making it one of the most seismically and volcanically active regions in the world.

The Popocatepetl volcano, one of the country's active volcanoes, is only 70 kilometers away from the capital and caused alarm in May when it emitted ash, gases, and molten rocks."

 

AFP